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Lost Sense Of Smell And Taste

Not enjoying your food lately? Perhaps you’ve lost sense of smell and taste.

Let’s tune into the following conversation for a minute.

“The homes here are so beautiful. I just love the neighborhood. You must come see it,” you crow to your husband in bed as you kiss him goodnight. You’re in the market for a new home and you spent all afternoon today driving around in a newly established suburban subdivision.

“Great!” your husband says, then asks, “But what about the smell? Do you remember how this new neighborhood smells?”

“What?! What a strange question? Especially coming from a guy,” you think to yourself.

“No,” you answer, “that wasn’t my focus. Maybe I’ll do that next time.” You don’t want to upset the apple cart.

Your husband is obsessed with his nose lately. Why? You wonder.

I’ll tell you why? Your poor husband has not able to taste his food lately. Reason? He’s lost his sense of smell—and thus his sense of taste.

That’s because taste and smell are intimately connected. Just ask an anosmic (someone who’s lost their sense of smell).

And that’s what your husband is—an anosmic.

Strange as your husband is for asking you about the smell of the new neighborhood, he’s onto something. Before you doze off, you ponder on what your current neighborhood smells like.

You haven’t a clue!

Save for vehicle exhaust and lawn mower fumes, you can’t recall a single darn smell from your present neighborhood. And you can’t think of one good reason why you should.

I’ll tell why you should: it will help you eat better.

You see, the taste you find in your daily grub banks on your sense of smell. Pleasure stems from sensuality, which in turn comes from your senses. The king of all your senses?

Your nose!

Your sense of taste is quite rudimentary. Sweet, salt, sour and bitter are about the extent of what your taste buds can discern. What we call “flavor” actually calls for an interplay of dozens of complex and subtle smells—all of which call for your nose.

So without your nose there’s not much you can taste in food.

Chances are, you are not an anosmic. But you learn from one. You see, you have a decent sense of smell—but you take your nose for granted. In one word, here’s why you should be interested in your nose:

Pleasure!

Your nose is key to pleasure in food. The more you use your nose, the better it gets. And the less you use it, the worse it gets.

Nose: use it or lose it.

So how should you go about invigorating your nose?

Pay more attention to it. Give your eyes a break for a change… and start smelling. Start sniffing around.

Start at home. Smell whatever is cooking in your kitchen. Smell your fruits and vegetables and spices and beer and wine and essential oils and soap…. You get the point.

Not everything you smell has to be pleasant. You could go sniff old clothes in your hamper, for instance. (Hey, that’s life. :))

And why stop at home. Go for walks in your neighborhood and let your nose feast on your neighborhood smells. Don’t just look at those flowers. Smell ’em.

In short, bring your neglected nose out of the closet and let it have a party. You’ll be glad you did.

Your rekindled nose will soon spill over into your food life, not to mention your love life.